The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light to the magnitude of environmental degradation and also demonstrated how environmental, animal and human health is inextricably linked, which is at the core of the One Health approach. Ambient air pollution is one of the main determinants of environmental health and is associated with a range of adverse short- and long- term health outcomes ranging from pulmonary diseases to neurological disorders. It is the fourth leading risk factor globally in terms of mortality. Current studies even suggest that damage caused by air pollution is greater than smoking globally. Air pollution also plays a role in the severity of the COVID-19 infection and the transmissibility of the virus. To date, myriad of studies has identified particulate matter (PM) as the main driver of air pollution and indicator of health effects. Recently several studies suggest that a 20% increase in the PM concentration is associated with almost twofold increase in the number of patients with Covid-19. This talk aims at estimating the effects of air pollution on health outcomes and avoidable mortality attributable to long-term exposure to air-pollution in Turkey. Special focus would be on Istanbul, the city of 20 million. The talk also discusses how One Health approach is needed urgently in controlling and preventing future pandemics and proposes that this approach advances understanding social and structural determinants that magnifies the effects of Covid-19 among vulnerable populations. Moreover, the talk urges policy makers to develop a holistic, integrated and dynamic early warning systems based on the One Health framework to control infectious diseases.